AS I sit here typing, looking out across the valley, it’s one of the most stunning days of the year.

Yes, it’s still cool out of the sun, and the central heating’s not going off for the summer just yet, but the skies are blue, studded with fast-moving white clouds, and there is a real sense of spring being just about to explode.

The bulbs are up, and I noticed this week that the rhubarb crowns by the front gate are pushing the first stems of the year through the soil towards the light.

There is movement everywhere. Two things tend to combine at this exact point of the year which make my heart sing – the arrival of the long-tailed tits at the bird feeder (these exquisite, charming little birds turn up for only a few weeks before heading away for another 12 months), and the appearance in the woods of the first leaves of wild garlic.

At long last, after almost a full year of waiting, it’s here.

One of my most favourite ingredients is now beginning to grow luxuriantly across the region. Wild garlic abounds!

I hope you can all find a stash of these amazing leaves somewhere local to you – it grows predominantly in well-established woodlands, occupying the same space as the bluebells which start to bloom just as the garlic loses its early-season brilliance.

You cannot mistake the scent as you walk near patches of wild garlic, it’s a sweet, pungent and, for me, highly intoxicating smell which instantly makes me think of cooking.

Right now, the leaves are small and mild, but in a couple of weeks they should be a deep emerald green colour, large and broad, with dandelion-like flower heads bobbing above. The flowers themselves are beautiful things, and have a great flavour. They look amazing strewn over dark salad leaves, or adorning a pristine piece of white fish.

Try steaming a little spinach with a few leaves of garlic, and sitting this beneath a fillet of, say, plaice, topping the dish with a palmful of ice-white flowers and some fronds of chervil. Food doesn’t get much prettier or fresh-looking.

Most years, I have my favourite dishes to make with this bonanza of wild leaves, from a dazzling deep-green soup bulked with potatoes and celery to a seasonal warm salad with sizzling streaky bacon lardoons and a poached egg.

And whilst anticipating all these treats, I suddenly made the logical leap to one of the classics of the leftovers realm, the bubble and squeak. Bingo! Recipe sorted.

A great way to serve up the wild garlic, folded into a crisp-shelled cake of soft, fluffy potato, enriched with tasty spinach, and a lick of melted cheese. And let’s top it off with an egg, always brilliant with the delicate garlic-y tang of the wild leaf.

The cheese in the bubble and squeak should, I think on this occasion, be a light, acidic one, given the delicacy of the wild garlic flavour, but it’s entirely up to you.

Goat’s cheese may be nice, as an alternative, with its tangy, clean bite. Wensleydale works well, as does Emmenthal.

This dish makes a great supper or lunch as is, but can be adapted for many occasions. A poached egg per person would work just as well.

Try making miniature versions, topped with a fried or soft-boiled quail’s egg for a fancy first course, or bolster the dish with some baby tomatoes roasted on the vine with olive oil and a few crunchy salad leaves like shredded hearts of Romaine. The egg yolk and tomato makes a wonderful natural dressing which is delightful with such crisp, juicy leaves.

Either way, here you have a simple way to showcase the wonderful, aromatic wild garlic that’s here at this time every year to tell us summer’s on its way. Aprons on!

For the bubble:

1kg potatoes

200g spinach

30g butter

Large handful wild garlic leaves

100g good Cheshire cheese

Plain flour

Olive oil

S&P

To Serve:

1 fresh free-range egg per person

A splash of olive oil and a dab of butter

Extras:

Mouli or potato ricer (optional)

Method:

Bring a pan of well-salted water to the boil and simmer the potatoes until soft, then drain, allow to steam dry, and pass through the mouli.

Beat in half of the butter and the cheese, allowing it to melt in the hot potatoes.

Wash the spinach thoroughly, shake to remove most of the water, and toss in a pan with the remaining butter, salt and pepper.

Wilt the spinach gently until it’s just lost its shape.

You still want it to be vibrant and green. Wash the wild garlic leaves, and shred them finely with a sharp blade.

Fold the garlic and spinach into the potato mixture, distributing the greens evenly.

Divide the mixture into 8 balls. Dust a worktop generously with flour, and then, with floured hands, form the balls into round patties about 2cm thick.

Place on a plate or tray in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up. Alternatively, you could make a large pan-sized bubble and squeak, serving wedges with an egg per person.

To serve, gently heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the patties for a few minutes on each side until golden and crunchy on the outside.

Keep warm in a low oven until you’re ready.

To finish, fry an egg for each guest in a little oil and butter, and place this on top of each bubble and squeak.